Harry Reid is getting at something with his condemnation of the incompetence of Peter Pace.
We have a war in Iraq that is lost, and one in Afghanistan that is going pear-shaped. Is it just a coincidence that we have an officer corps that is 90% Republican? I believe that the habits of mind that incline one to Republicanism help explain the incompetent performance of the officer corps in these two theaters of war. I do not take anything away from the ordinary soldiers, sailors, and airmen, who have been badly led.
Think of the qualities that come to mind when you think of Republicanism:
Credulity
Unquestioning obeisance to authority
Provincialism and vulgar jingoism
Lack of imagination
These habits of mind embodied in an officer corps, combined with incompetent leadership at the top, spell disaster. We have an enemy that is imaginative and nimble. . That our officer corps is so predominately Republican, with the leaden habits of mind that entails, should be of grave concern to the nation.
In fact, it is hard to see how professionalism can be expected from any group with predominately Republican leanings if you exclude various forms of fraud and larceny.